Through this unique approach, we will explore how people understand their environments and their place within them, consider the challenges of sustainable development, and encourage dialogue among senior level policy makers, academics and practitioners.

You may RSVP for whichever sessions you please. Our registration deadline is April 10.

Today, members of the United Nations face an informal deadline regarding their submission of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), detailed reports on their individual plans to both cut greenhouse gas emissions and limit average warming to 2 degrees Celsius or less. The United States is expected to release its plan by the end of the day.

Although some nations plan to release their INDCs closer to the Paris Summit in December, early submission by the U.S. demonstrates a strong committment to action, a committment that many in the U.N. feel has been lacking. As IBES fellow Timmons Roberts noted in ClimateProgress, a publication of ThinkProgress, “The U.S. is seen by the world as the country most needing to take on commitments on climate change, and until about two years ago, the least willing to do so.” In the article, Roberts also discusses the benefits of climate change alliances between the United States and developing nations such as China and Mexico.

Today, Mexico joined other members of the United Nations by announcing its own Intended Nationally Determined Contribution, an outline of actions the country plans to take to combat climate change before the Paris Summit convenes in December. The plan includes a pledge to peak its carbon emissions by 2026, and to make major reductions in black carbon and other greenhouse gases by 2030.

IBES faculty member J. Timmons Roberts and research fellow Guy Edwards commented on the proposed deal in PlanetPolicy, a blog published by Brookings, a non-profit public policy organization based in Washington D.C. "We will be closely examining this proposed contribution from Mexico in the days ahead," wrote Roberts and Edwards. "But at first blush we see this launch as an extraordinarily positive step."

Following decades of expansion and development, China is rapidly emerging as a world economic leader; however, much of the nation's growth has occurred at the expense of both its human populations and resident ecosystems. In recent years, the Chinese government has joined a chorus of local and worldwide researchers in their call for exploration of these mixed effects.

On April 21, the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, along with the Brown School of Public Health and the Watson Institute, will co-sponsor The China Forum on Public Health, Environment, and Public Policy. During this event, panelists and lecturers will discuss the public health challenges that China faces as well as the current state of human and environmental health research. Students, faculty, and visitors will have the opportunity to network with peers and mentors and forge collaborative relationships in order to tackle complex issues surrounding human health and wellbeing, environmental sustainability, and societal development.

The China Forum will take place from 9:00am - 5:30pm at The Hope Club. Amanda Lynch, Director of IBES, will make the Closing Remarks.

Registration for this event is required. Please click here to sign up.

Thirty years ago, large swaths of Trinidad and Tobago were scarred by deforestation, the islands' inhabitants and ecosystems subject to alternating seasons of devastating fires and floods. Driven by their vision of a more sustainable future, activist Akilah Jaramogi and her late husband, Tacuma, brought the area back to life by reforesting over 125 acres of watershed and founding an agro-forestry community they called Fondes Amandes. Over the past three decades, thanks to Jaramongi's Fondes Amandes Community Reforestation Project (FACRP), residents of the area have brought the ecology of their community back to life. 60,000 seedlings have since been planted, and the islands' forests and waters are thriving once again.

On April 20, Brown University will be hosting Jaramogi as part of an event entitled Rastafari Women's Environmental Activism. IBES will co-sponsor the event, during which Jaramogi will give a short lecture and screen her acclaimed documentary Earth Water Woman. The session will take place in the Crystal Room from 12:00 - 2:00pm. Click here to learn more about Jaramongi and Earth Water Woman, or to view the film's trailer.